As known in the art of sprinkler systems and other irrigation systems, a tough, relatively flexible polyethylene tubing is often used to connect various components of an irrigation system, for example, to connect a sprinkler head to a rigid water carrying pipe. One type of flexible tubing is sold under the registered trademark FUNNY PIPE. The half-inch FUNNY PIPE tubing has typical dimensions of 0.690″ O. D. by 0.490″ I. D. Other sizes and brands are available. One common way of attaching pipes and sprinkler heads to FUNNY PIPE flexible tubing is with barbed fittings. Typical barbed fittings include one or more annular barbs at the tip of the fitting that is inserted into the flexible tubing. Typical configurations for such barbed fittings for flexible tubing include a 90° male elbow fitting (0.5″ thread at one end of a 90° elbow and a flexible tubing tip at the other end), a 90° female elbow fitting (0.5″ female thread at one end of a 90° elbow and a flexible tubing tip at the other end), a 45° male elbow fitting (0.5″ thread at one end of a 45° elbow and a flexible tubing tip at the other end), a 45° female elbow fitting (0.5″ female thread at one end of a 45° elbow and a flexible tubing tip at the other end), a male adapter fitting (0.5″ thread at one end of a straight fitting and a flexible tubing tip at the other end), a female adapter fitting (0.5″ female thread at one end of a straight fitting and a flexible tubing tip at the other end), a coupling fitting (flexible tubing tips at both ends), and a T fitting (flexible tubing tips at the three ends of a T-shaped pipe fitting). FIGS. 1A-1E show a prior art 90° male elbow flexible tubing fitting.
The known barbed fittings have a drawback in that they are hard to assemble into flexible tubing, i.e., it requires a great amount of hand strength to insert the barbed fitting into the flexible tubing. For those with the required hand strength, assembling even a few fittings into the flexible tubing can cause severe hand fatigue.
There is a need, therefore, for an improved fitting to connect to flexible tubing.